McGill University is located on unceded Haudenosaunee & Anishinaabe traditional territories

1911 | Canadian Prime Minister and McGill Law alumnus, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, passes into law a provision banning Black people from entering the country.

While there was never a formal act banning Black immigration, Canadian officials have engaged in efforts to make it difficult for African Americans to immigrate to Canada. Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier signed an Order-in-Council banning Black Immigrants based on the notion that African Americans were not suited for the “climate and requirements of Canada.” This order was never formally invoked or included in the Immigration act, and was repealed in October of that year. Other efforts by Canadian officials to ban Black immigration include forcing Black immigrants into tough medical exams at the border and hiring African-American agents to spread anti-Canada propaganda.